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Slavery Argumentative Essay

704 Words3 Pages

Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves. Frederick Douglass proves how slaveholders forbid slaves from gaining knowledge by making them ignorant in many aspects. For instance, these slaveholders would severely punish their own slaves for trying to read a book because it would make them unfit to be a slave. Throughout the narrative of Frederick Douglass, he has given out various details about his own life as a slave. Certain parts of the narrative include violence, mistreatment, rape, and even death. Unlike today’s times, they didn’t face any punishment whatsoever. Slavery is a flawed system because not only is it morally wrong, it also violates the human rights of these slaves and makes them submit by mentally scarring …show more content…

In this case, Mr. Plummer inflicted physical harm on Frederick's aunt by tying her up and repeatedly whipping her. This proves that this type of violence is not only physically damaging, but it is also emotionally traumatic. By harming slaves, Mr. Plummer is perpetuating this injustice and causing harm to others based on their status as slaves. It is important to recognize that all individuals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their race or status, and harming slaves is a violation of this basic human right.

Next, every person has the right to live, regardless of their status as a slave or not. Taking a life is a serious matter and should only be done as a last resort in circumstances when it is necessary. In this case, Mr. Gore held up his musket and without giving Demby any chances, shot his head with no hesitation. This type of violence and abuse is not acceptable and is a grave injustice. It is important to recognize the value and dignity of every human being and to treat all people with respect and …show more content…

For instance, slaves were used to work on plantations, farms, and mines. They were forced to do hard and dangerous work, and their owners made a profit from their labor. Some people believed that slavery was a necessary part of society because it provided cheap labor and helped to build the economy.

“Once you learn how to read, you will forever be free.” This quote relates to the personal narrative of Frederick Douglass because he learned how to read which gave him a huge advantage. He understood things way better than the average slave. Reading enlightened Frederick Douglass on many different types of things and this could even lead him to his escape. Knowledge is both highly potential and extremely powerful in almost every case. Frederick can use this knowledge to his advantage in order to possibly obtain his freedom and even free other slaves trapped working for

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Douglass uses paradox to demonstrate that slavery degragrates the slaverholder. When Douglass under Mr. Sever’s care he described that: “He was less cruel, less profane… He whipped, but seemed to take no pleasure in it. ”(Douglass 24). Most slaveholders are characterized to be cruel and inhuman because of the whipping and the way they treated the slaves.

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“The gross injustice and cruelty to which slave is the constant victim.” (Doc.4) From frederick douglass’s personal experiences and judgement, he believes that slavery is the worst thing that any country has ever let happen and that

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In the ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Frederick Douglass was a slave that was determined to become free from slavery. And eventually he did accomplish that goal, while ultimately becoming an abolitionist archivist and set off to abolish slavery at the end. Douglass wanted nothing more to be free, but something else was equally important was: literacy. As a slave this fundamental tool was against the rules, unlawful and unsafe.

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Once Mr. Auld finds that Mrs. Auld is teaching Douglass to read, Mrs. Auld is told that it is “unsafe” when a “slave [learns] to read” (Douglass 20). This experience shows Douglass that if he continues to become more educated, he will be treated more and more inhumanely because owners will think he is a “threat” to them. Even though being a “threat” merely means losing money at most, it is enough for slave owners to choose not to educate their slaves. While Douglass felt evocative of this experience, he realized that the experience showed him “the pathway from slavery” (Douglass 20). From that moment on, Douglass knew that at some point in his life, he would be a free man, no matter what it took.

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Samantha Ghobrial Mrs. Stultz AP Lang/Comp; Per. 4 19 March 2023 Chapter 3 Argument: In the third chapter of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass argues that the slaveholders' horrible treatment of their slaves resulted in the less commendable traits and behaviors in the slaves, who were solely focused on protecting themselves. The slaves' actions were motivated by prejudice and dishonesty, but they were also driven by the same rationality and feelings that all individuals experience.

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Frederick Douglass understood that people are created equal. Education and self-improvement were extremely important to him, we weren't just born free: we have to make ourselves into who we are. The worst thing about slavery, to his mind, is that it prevents people from improving themselves through education (Shmoop Editorial Team). As Mr. Douglass grew into the slave life he questioned multiple things of his life. He wanted to know why he was deprived from knowing his age while other white boys knew their age.

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In “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass narrates in detail the oppressions he went through as a slave before winning his freedom. In the narrative, Douglass gives a picture about the humiliation, brutality, and pain that slaves go through. We can evidently see that Douglass does not want to describe only his life, but he uses his personal experiences and life story as a tool to rise against slavery. He uses his personal life story to argue against common myths that were used to justify the act of slavery. Douglass invalidated common justification for slavery like religion, economic argument and color with his life story through his experiences torture, separation, and illiteracy, and he urged for the end of slavery.

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413 Words | 2 Pages

“I think slavery is the next thing to hell. If a person would send another into bondage, he would, it appears to me, be bad enough to send him into hell if he could”(Tubman). Being born into slavery affected young Frederick Douglass negatively. He experienced the cruel world of abuse and suffering of slavery. In the book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, he uses imagery and metaphors to explain the agony slaves went through so that white slaveholders understand that abusing their slaves is not right.

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Throughout Fredericks childhood, there were a lot of examples where he was put into terrible abuse and terrible behavior involving him. As a young boy he learned the first lesson about slavery

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Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

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973 Words | 4 Pages

Because of this, he successfully creates a contrast between what the slave owners think of and treat the slaves and how they are. Douglass says that slave’s minds were “starved by their cruel masters”(Douglass, 48) and that “they had been shut up in mental darkness” (Douglass, 48) and through education, something that they were deprived of, Frederick Douglass is able to open their minds and allow them to flourish into the complex people that they are. By showing a willingness to learn to read and write, the slaves prove that they were much more than what was forced upon them by their masters.

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836 Words | 4 Pages

Slaves often do not understand their condition fully, since they do not know life beyond slavery. His unawareness of the liberating power of education bound him in a misleading bliss, causing him to believe that his state of being had permanency and to remain unaware of his injustice. However, once education had revealed to Douglass his ignorance, he says, “. . . I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy.”

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771 Words | 4 Pages

When somebody doesn 't do the right they get hit with a whip till they do what is told. Slavery is nothing like doing chores for your parents it 's worse you can 't take a break until you are done you have to keep working until they tell you when your done, and you barely get paid for it. • B. Background information: There has been a lot of injustice in society in slavery like beating up up someone when they don 't do the right thing for the job. slavery isn 't there choice they have to do it for them not for

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Elizabeth drifted to a lover’s dream. She floated on a sea of white linen under a canopy of red silk damask. Smiling at Joseph in her sleep, her body seemed alive with the most delicious sensations – a tongue gliding down, down, down…the sea lapping waves in the distance…a mercurial light dancing on the walls… Sometime much later a light tap on sounded on the door. With a rush of breath she snapped awake and sat up suddenly grasping for awareness.

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In the minds of many Southerners, without slavery, the South and America as a whole, wouldn’t continue to be a growing economic powerhouse, and would lose its culture as a nation where White Christian, males, ruled society. For many, there was no South, no America, without slavery. History has shown time and time again that power corrupts. To hold onto their power, slave owners made sure their slaves were kept uneducated.

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